Reviewed by Claudia Taller
I became so wrapped up in the story told in A Carol for Cleveland, beginning with Stephen Spencer’s casual and likeable narration in his role as This Guy, I forgot it is based on Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.
The new Christmas play, now being staged at the beautifully renovated Allen Theatre, is a Cleveland play. We hear that from all the reviewers. But that’s an understatement. From the very beginning when Ed Podolak, played by Charles Kartali, appears on Public Square, I was in Cleveland. Ed sounded like a Clevelander. The setting and cast capture Cleveland’s festive holiday feel.
The play finds Cleveland’s soft underbelly. We may have our issues, but we’re good people. We try to do the right thing, even when we lose our jobs. We may lose our way, but we find ourselves back home again. Ed belongs in Cleveland because he gets back up again. Our souls are true.
Like Scrooge, Podolak discovers that family and home is more important than his alienating self-centeredness. He caused his own misery by focusing on how bad his life was. The human condition—that’s why classic stories continue to speak to us.
Enough about Dickens, we’re talking about A Carol for Cleveland. Les Roberts wrote the novella no doubt based on his own experience of the town he loves, and Eric Coble’s screenplay brought it alive for the stage. Eric Coble wrote a simple and direct screenplay with natural and 1970s-accurate dialogue. The heart-warming story of redemption is beautifully told in Coble’s screenplay, with some of Les Roberts’ one-liners left intact (download Roberts’ book here.)
When the stage opened, a chorus sang out rules for the guests at the evening performance—no cell phone rings, exits in the back—and the audience chuckled its appreciation of cleverness. The clothes looked like the chorus’ clothing in Christmas. Once the play began in earnest, the characters were wearing what I would expect them to wear in the late 1970s, to Costume Director Jeffrey Van Curtis’ credit.
Movable screen panels hung above the stage to reflect images of Public Square, E. 55th Street, and east side bungalow neighborhoods. It was an elegant way to create a Cleveland backdrop, much better than painted wooden backdrops. The play opens on Christmas Eve a year after unemployed steelworker Ed Podolak arrived in Cleveland after leaving his family behind in Western Pennsylvania. The stage props took me, with a thrill, right back to the 1970s. Set designer Antje Ellermann did a fine job giving us the feeling of Cleveland in 1978.
Stephen Spencer made us feel that we could trust This Guy, a genuine person we would enjoy talking to in a coffee shop, to tell us the story. Charles Kartali, who played the main character Ed Podolak, did a fine job of showing us the angst of leaving his family, the anger with the way his life turned out, and why he would steal money from Salvation Army donations. The rest of the acting, right down to our young truthsayer, Charlie (played by young Elliot Lockshine), was refined, from the clearness of the spoken lines to the movement across the stage, to the expressions on the faces of the characters. Director Laura Kepley and her crew of designers and directors should be proud of the flawless production.
For those yet to experience the intimate space of the Allen Theatre, prepare to be impressed. Dramatic lighting falls on sheer curtains to reveal the old interior walls of the Allen Theatre. I couldn’t help taking pictures. But when I looked up toward the ceiling, the new ceiling panels which hang below the original classic early 20th century carved ceiling only show small areas of that beauty. At first upsetting, I eventually liked the intermix of the old and the new. The renovation pays homage to the past by revealing only part of what the Allen used to be, lending it some mystery.
What moved me during this production was how unique it was. I’d like to say the play is destined to be Cleveland’s new holiday tradition, but that could be contrary to the goals of Cleveland Play House, which prides itself on nationally acclaimed original theatre. Artistic Director Michael Bloom and Managing Director Kevin Bloom enjoy CPH’s new home in the Allen Theatre in PlayhouseSquare. The new location should attract a larger audience, but they are challenged to demonstrate what makes CPH different from what the rest of PlayhouseSquare is doing.
You need to see this play during the 2012-13 Cleveland Play House season, just in case this is a 2012-only sensation. Take your camera, and read the playbill, which includes an interview with Les Roberts and Eric Coble and a conversation with Rob McClure.
A Carol for Cleveland runs through Sat 12/23 at the Allen Theatre on PlayhouseSquare. Get your tickets at http://playhousesquare.com.
Claudia Taller is the author of Ohio’s Lake Erie Wineries and has been a Cool Cleveland contributor for many years. She helps writers and other creative people discover possibilities for their lives through Igniting Possibilities events, including Word Lovers retreats. She has written articles for numerous publications over the last decade and blogs at http://ClaudiaTallerMusings.blogspot.com. Her book can be purchased at http://OhioLakeErieWineries.blogspot.com and makes a perfect gift for history buffs and wine lovers.